Washington State Patrol troopers made a record number of drunken-driving arrests in Snohomish County this year.
They’ve yanked about 3,500 suspected drunken drivers off the road, averaging almost 10 arrests a day. The high number of arrests has helped reduce the number of traffic fatalities, officials said.
“We’re proud of our record,” said trooper Kirk Rudeen, a State Patrol spokesman. “At the same time, it shows just how big a problem impaired driving is.”
Law enforcement officials have put more troopers on the road and gotten better at tracking down drunken drivers, he said.
They’ve also learned where to look.
In Snohomish County, most of the drunken driving arrests are made on Highway 99 between south Everett and Lynnwood, he said. Other hot spots include I-5 between the King-Snohomish County line and 128th Street SW, on I-405 between I-5 and the county line, and along Highway 9 in Lake Stevens and south to U.S. 2. Troopers also make a large number of stops on U.S. 2 between Monroe and Gold Bar.
“That’s probably the major areas where we get them,” Rudeen said.
Nationwide, dozens of people die each New Year’s Eve, according to Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
For the countdown to 2008 in Snohomish County, troopers plan extra patrols, Rudeen said.
It was those additional patrols that helped make 56 drunken driving arrests in the county during Christmas weekend, he said.
“That’s 56 people in Snohomish County that thought they could drive, but found out that we’re out there,” Rudeen said. “And 56 people that got a Christmas gift they weren’t expecting.”
By the end of December, troopers in Snohomish County expect to make about 400 drunken driving arrests, Rudeen said.
The impact is clear, he said.
In Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom and Island counties, traffic fatalities on state roads dropped nearly 30 percent from last year, he said. Drunken driving arrests were up about 22 percent.
“You can see the direct correlation. The more impaired drivers we arrest and take off the roads, the more lives we save. That’s the bottom line,” Rudeen said.
Statewide, statistics show a reduction in the number of traffic fatalities this year, according to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. Through October, 315 people had died in traffic crashes around the state. That’s down from 390 during the same period in 2006.
In the past year, the State Patrol has put more troopers on the roads looking for drunken drivers. In November 2006, the patrol introduced a special detachment of troopers who work in the county mostly weekend nights and focus exclusively on arresting drunks.
In 2007, troopers began more widespread use of the agency’s aircraft in Snohomish County and began making nighttime patrols from the sky.
Troopers also were on the roads during holidays — including Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s — when alcohol typically is a part of the festivities, Rudeen said.
Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve in 2005, 1,317 people were killed in the United States in traffic crashes involving alcohol — representing 38 percent of all traffic deaths, a Mothers Against Drunk Driving report said.
On Friday morning, one traffic death statewide had been reported this holiday season, said Brian Jones, a spokesman for the traffic safety commission.
“Even though one is too many, it’s still generally a reduction over what we’ve seen in past years,” he said.
Jones made the comment before a fatal crash on U.S. 2 near Gold Bar on Friday afternoon.
In 2005, there was an increase in fatalities in the state, Jones said.
“Law enforcement has made an appropriate adjustment. It’s having the results that we’d hope for,” he said.
The trend in 2006 and 2007 is showing a reduction in alcohol-related fatalities, Jones said.
“The troopers out there are working really hard. We’re doing everything we can to get these impaired drivers off the road,” Rudeen said.
It’s important to remember that drunken driving is entirely preventable, he said.
Enjoy the new year celebrations, he said, but designate a person to stay sober or plan to take a taxi.
“There’s so many options available, there’s just no excuse to be driving while impaired,” Rudeen said. “All we’re asking people to do is plan ahead.”
Reporter Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437 or jholtz@heraldnet.com.
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